Katie's Hellion

He pulled a pillow across his face, ignoring her. She stood and glared at him, wanting to cry, scream, and sleep all at once. Instead, she marched to the bathroom and took the hottest shower she could tolerate to try and take off the alcoholic edge. Her shot nerves calmed until she rubbed a towel against the misty mirror and saw the tattoo again.

Rhyn.

Fury at her situation rose hard and fast. She suppressed it with deep breaths. She'd been to Hell and back; Ireland with a moody predator was far better than that. She put on the jumpsuit she hated and emerged, expecting her first night of good sleep in a week.

Her nose wrinkled at a familiar scent, and she looked first at the plate full of raw fish on the table and then at the silver-eyed predator with his roped forearms displayed across his wide, bare chest. His look was calculating and judging.

"That's it!"

She crossed to the table and lifted one from the plate, flinging it at him.

"You miserable son of a bitch! You all deserve to be in Hell! Damn you, Toby for ruining my life, and Gabriel and Ully and Andre…"

With each name, she flung a fish at him. He was unaffected, batting the dead creatures away like flies.

"…and you, Rhyn, who should owe me something for freeing you from the depths of Hell! Fuck you all! I swear to God, I've had it with all this shit. One week ago, I was normal. Normal! I know you don't know what the fuck that is, but it means no immortal monsters sucking my blood and tearing up my body, no tattoos, no four-hundred- thousand-year-old angels in the bodies of five-year-olds, no buildings exploding when I get near them, no trip to Hell. And no raw fish!"

He stared at her, and she flung the plate at him, furious at his lack of reaction. He didn't care. He couldn'tcare. Monsters couldn't care!

Tears stung her eyes.

"Kris was right. I need to help him save the world from jackasses like you."

His eyes flared then narrowed. He moved toward her slowly, body tense.

"Oh, now you give a damn!" she snapped, backing away. "It's personal, isn't it? Like it's been for me for the past fucking week! Kris, Kris, Kris!"

With each mention of his name, Rhyn's eyes flared hotter. A low growl started deep in his chest, a warning that penetrated her rampage. She stepped back and whirled, darting toward the door. He snatched her around the waist and lifted her.